it isn't adjustable. I even when I only tough a tiny bit to it, it makes a small ball and rolls off. I was talking to my dad and grandpa about it and they thought that piratically soaking the tip in acid core solder would do the trick.
Ethan: Having Acid core solder around any of your electrical connections is the "LAST" thing you want to do, in fact "NEVER" do it! It sounds like that what you have done is gotten something on your tip (like plastic from the ties) you need to wipe it on a wet sponge or a good wet paper towel to get it clean. I would give you a couple of old Electronics tips about how to clean your tip but I don't think your Mom would appreciate you doing what I would suggest. I hate to even mention this next thing but the fact that you have ground the tip down may very well also have affected the way the tip will hold solder. I say this from 35+ years of soldering experience. Does your tip unscrew from the element? If it does you may want to find a smaller cheisel type tip for it. A smaller pointed tip would work OK also. Bob
Ok. Yes the tip does unscrew. Even when it was freshly ground it wouldn't hold solder. I'll try cleaning it again.
Sometimes a clump of steel wool can help in cleaning/wiping a soldering tip that has been already tinned. I usually will tear off a small bit of steel wool and clean the steel wool(outdoors) with something non-residue cleaner like brake cleaner first since most steel wool has some type of oily rust retardant on it. Update 1/2/13: Better than the steel wool, use a pad that was made specifically for the job: http://gokimco.com/soldering-rework...nce-sponges/tip-cleaner-with-brass-coils.html I have purchased multiple products from this reseller and am very pleased with his service.
On my first attempt at soldering track sections together (flex track), I may as well have been melting chocolate onto the rails. In fact, chocolate may have held better. Why won't the solder hold? I've had the solder so long and the label is so scratched up that I can't tell what kind it is. If it isn't rosin core, would that cause it not to stick well? My irons wattage is 25w. It is now 11:30pm and I just found my 100w gun. For tonight I am already out of the mood about to turn in. I was just wondering if it was the iron, solder, my lack of experience, or a combination. Any replies would be greatly appreciated. Tomorrow, I plan to try the gun and a much smaller bead of solder I found with the gun. In other news, for the first time in a few months, I got in the mood to get back to working on the new layout today. In doing so, I finally found a good use for powerlocs and ez track... tracing them for flex track plans. Why not? If you already have them on hand, they take the hard part out of getting smooth curves and straight lines.
Probably not a good idea to use the 100w iron. Do this: Put your iron on top of the rail. Use some really small solder (like .022) and start it at the iron on the top of the rail, then move it down on the side and finish it up. Might take a little practice but it should work. Ethan
Do not put your iron on top of the rail - you will leave solder residue on the railtop. Use a tip that will fit into the web of the rail sideways. There are some parts of the process that I will explain: 1) Your soldering iron must have high enough heat output to do the job. A 60 watt iron will probably do the job, however I recommend using a temperature-controlled soldering station for best results. The best, affordable one is available for $80.72 incl shipping from: http://gokimco.com/hakko-fx888-esd-safe-soldering-station.html I run mine at the highest temperature for a quick joint to rail, otherwise the midpoint is best for lighter work. The key thing about the temperature-controlled soldering station is that it will supply enough power to maintain heat flow into the joint whereas most soldering irons can't maintain the temperature to make a quick, solid joint. 2) The soldering iron tip must be kept clean and freshly tinned for good heat transfer. One the soldering station above there are two items that make that easy; the brass wool tip cleaner, and the wiping sponge. 3) Clean the tip with the brass wool, wipe the tip quickly on the sponge and then tin the tip with fresh solder. 4) Immediately touch the tip to the work and at the same time, touch the solder to the contact point between the tip and the work for better heat transfer. The solder should flow into the joint very quickly. 5) Tin both surfaces that will be joined before making the final solder joint. 6) Repeat the clean, tin, solder process. I did not have the soldering station before last year, but after having used a Hakko 960 that someone else had, I will never solder again without the soldering station.
The reason you are having so much trouble with the solder is because as of 2008 ALL solder no longer has LEAD in it. ( thanks Pelosi) It now is LEAD-FREE. Therefore the heat requirements are HIGHER for the lead-free stuff and unfortunately as you found out, it turns track to chocolate syrup if you use too much heat. Also, DO NOT use ACID core solder on electrical wiring. That stuff is for copper or tin pipe joints and has ACID in the core that eats up electrical components. A good 40W solder iron like a WELLER is required for really good solder joints, and one with adjustable heat settings is ideal for a wide range on soldering uses.
What Keith recommended earlier would be great. Or if you want something cheaper check out a Radio Shack store. They have a lot of solder, wire and irons there. I picked up a 20-50W fully adjustable iron for about $20 and it works great. Ethan
My solder of choice is Kester 44 60/40 (that's 60%tin/40% lead) and it's still readily available. Look for catalog number 24-6040-0027 or 24-6040-0031. It's a one pound spool of 0.027" or 0.031" diameter solder.
A much better solder is Kester 63/37 Eutectic solder because it has no plastic state which reduces the change of a cold solder joint. It comes in one pound spools also in .031" diameter and it is rosin core as well.
I'm not up to speed on the laws governing lead content in solder, but I've purchased solder several times in the past four years and haven't had any trouble finding solder with lead in it, so either I'm buying from vendors not complying with US law or I'm buying old stock. Here's a link to some very nice solder for trackwork, courtesy of Fast Tracks: http://www.handlaidtrack.com/Small-Diameter-Solder-15ft-Roll-p/sp-0003.htm This stuff is great for laying flextrack, attaching feeders and even building your own switches. The base is not prone to tipping over, which is nice when you need a third hand.
